N.J. Town Elects Deceased Man To School Board

If the preliminary results are correct, Bloomfield has elected a deceased man to its school board.

According to the Essex County Clerk’s Office – as of Wednesday – Kent Weisert has collected more than 29 percent of the eligible votes for the Bloomfield Board of Education, good for third-place in the uncontested election.

The problem? Weisert died two weeks ago.

The 66-year-old attorney and BOE incumbent had been campaigning for one of the three open seats in Bloomfield when he passed away at his home on Oct. 21.

After Weisert’s passing, school administrators stated that his name would appear on the ballot alongside the other candidates, Dan Anderson and Ruth Hidalgo.

According to Wednesday’s unofficial election results, Weisert had amassed 1,308 votes, third behind Anderson (1,495) and Hidalgo (1,502).

Coincidentally, there were also 2,878 “undervotes” and 107 write-in votes counted in the municipal election, which could have easily elected a fourth candidate.

School administrators have stated that board of education members intend to seek guidance from the New Jersey School Boards Association and the Essex County schools superintendent about what their next steps should be.

The Essex County Clerk’s Office told NJ.com that the board of education will likely appoint someone to fill the position through next November, when an election for the two years remaining on the term can be held.

WHO WAS KENT WEISERT?

According to Weisert’s obituary, the 66-year-old was a graduate of Rutgers University who practiced labor and employment law, as well as general practice law. He was a proud member of the Bloomfield Board of Education, the Society for Musical Arts and was an “avid historian.”

Weisert lived in the same Bloomfield home his entire life, his obituary reads.

In a 2011 interview with Patch, Weisert spoke about his reasons for entering politics and his connection to the township.

“I am running for Township Council to try to reduce Township expenditures in order to reduce, rather than increase, Township property taxes. These taxes have increased at an alarming rate over the last several years, forcing many people from their homes. This is a tragedy and has to be stopped.

“Over the years, I have seen many changes occur in Bloomfield, many of them not for the better, especially over the past ten to fifteen years. Property taxes have more than doubled, forcing many residents from their homes. Attempts to redevelop Bloomfield Center have encountered one disaster after another. A beautiful and historic building such as the Royal Theater was demolished and turned into a parking lot rather than adapted for reuse. Bloomfield needs to change direction, and it needs to do so now.”

“I hope to be an agent of that change,” Weisert said. “Just as those of us in the private sector have been forced to make due with less over the past several years, so must government. Enough is enough.”

• See related article: QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES: Kent Weisert